Someone's Lurking Nearby
by Alien Outcast
Summary: A murderer has killed 52 doctors, and is coming after Claire. Hobbes and Fawkes start on the case, but how can they beat him if they can't see him?
1. 52

Invisible Man

  


  


Disclaimer: ::sniffles:: "I don't own the Invisible Man." "That's not what you said in your fanfic!" said the man in all black towering over her as she sat in the dinky chair. The man started to reach for the fanfics, but she held them closer to her. "No! They've all I got! Don't take them! Please!" The man smiles wickedly, and grabs the papers. He rips them up in front of her eyes and tosses them into the fire. "Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screams, and dives into the fire.

(okay, so maybe diving into the fire is a little much, afterall, if you're smart, you would have saved them on your computer)

  


Author's Note:The '_Invisible Man_' up at the top ^ is supposed to be blinking, but I'm not sure if fanfiction.net'll let me. Okay, this chapter isn't what you would call a romantic genre, but the next chapter or whenever I get to the part where the killer (a.k.a. the bad guy) goes after Claire (I can tell you that, cause it's kinda obvious when you read the story). Oh, and this ~~~~~~~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\******** is a scene change. One more thing, this _is_ a Hobbes/Claire, but it might seem at the first that it's Fawkes/Claire, but trust me, it's not.

  


  


~~~~~~~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\********

"Yo Claire." said Fawkes as he walked into Claire's 'office.' "I'm runnin' low, mind helpin' me out?" 

  


"Just a minute." said Claire, checking the counteragent in the needle. 

  


She went over to where Darien was sitting and readied him. Darien started thinking about Hobbes. "You got a boyfriend Keep?" he asked, starting up to what he hoped was a casual conversation. Afterall, he didn't want to say anything that might make Bobby uncomfortable . . .ah screw it.

  


"In my line of work, I don't have time for relationships." she replied simply, concentrating on the shot.

  


"You sound like you've practiced that answer." said Fawkes grinning.

  


"I have." she said, not looking him in the eye, while Fawkes' smile faded away.

  


Hobbes came through the door, breaking their silence. "Hey Fawkes, the Fat Man wants us in his office pronto."

  


"I'm comin'." he said, getting up, and they left the room.

  


  


~~~~~~~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\********

"We got a killer." the Official said, dropping the file of papers onto his desk. "A good one at that. Hasn't been caught. Got a thing for doctors. He's killed 52 of 'em."

  


Fawkes whistled. "That's a large sum my friend." said Hobbes.

  


"We need to stop him." said the Official with demandance in his voice. 

  


"Why us?" asked Fawkes. "I mean, I know it's a lot of murders, but doesn't the Feds usually take care of this kinda' stuff?"

  


"Not when it gets personal." replied the Official seriously.

  


Hobbes' and Fawkes' eyes grew big as they looked at each other. "You mean . . .the Keeper?" asked Hobbes.

  


The Official nodded. "Does she know?" asked Darien.

  


"No, and we prefer not to tell her." he said, giving them a look of warning.

  


"But sir, don't you think she has a right to know if her life's in danger?" asked Hobbes.

  


"Yeah, really." said Darien. "I mean, if I had a killer after me, I'd want to know."

  


"We don't want her to know for safety reasons. She could panic." Eberts replied.

  


"Shut up Eberts." growled the Official.

  


"It's the Keep." said Fawkes. "I think we all know she won't panic."

  


"Do not tell her!" the Official replied menacingly.

  


  


~~~~~~~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\********

"We got to tell you something." said Fawkes as him and Bobby marched into Claire's house.

  


"What on Earth? You can't just barge into my house. Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" The two men dragged Claire over to a seat, not responding. "Let go of me!" They did, and she landed on the couch in a huff. "Now what's this all about?!"

  


"There's a murderer after you." said Darien.

  


"Oh, great job breakin' it easy to her, Fawkes." said Hobbes sarcastically.

  


"What? You're the one that said, 'Let's not beat around the bush!'"

  


"Hey, Bobby Hobbes does not say, 'Let's not beat around the bush.'" he replied, pointing his finger at Fawkes.

  


"Well ya' know what . . ."

  


"Hey!" yelled Claire, cutting Darien off. "Settle down! Geesh, I feel like I'm teaching Kindergarten again." she said, rubbing her forehead.

  


"You taught Kindergarten?" asked Fawkes.

  


"I feel sorry for the students." mumbled Hobbes.

  


"For your information, I was a good teacher!" protested Claire.

  


"I bet."

  


"Can we get back on the subject here?" asked Darien.

  


"Right," said Claire. "Let me get this straight. There is someone out there that wants me dead?"

  


"Yep, that's pretty much it." said Darien.

  


"Do you know why? How much information do you have on the guy anyway?" she asked.

  


"Not much." replied Hobbes. 

  


"Except he's killed 52 doctors already." 

  


"That's true."

  


"52?" Claire repeated unbelieving. She slumped back on the couch.

  


"The Feds can't catch him . . ." said Hobbes.

  


" . . . and the Official wants us to do the job that they couldn't do." finished Darien.

  


There was a pause, then, "What's the plan?" asked Claire.

  


"Well . . ." began Darien. "We weren't exactly supposed to tell you."

  


"Yeah, the Official wanted to keep it a secret . . ."

  


"What?" she exclaimed, cutting off Hobbes.

  


" . . .so we'd appreciate it if you let on like you didn't know anything about this." continued Bobby. 

  


"Oh boy." she sighed.

  


  


~~~~~~~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\********

"So what are we gonna' do about this guy, Hobbes?" asked Darien when they had gotten back into the van.

  


"I don't know. We need some kind of lead."

  


"I kinda' guessed that."

  


"Well, the Fat Man doesn't have anything for us except he's going after doctors . . ."

  


" . . .and his next victim is Claire."

  


"Right. Now all we need to do is found out where this guy is; what his next move is." replied Hobbes.

  


"His next move is Claire."

  


"That's not what I meant."

  


"What did you mean?" asked Fawkes impatiently.

  


"What I _meant_ was we need to see if he needs to get any supplies . . ."

  


" . . .murder weapons." Fawkes cut off Hobbes.

  


"Exactly. So, we go check out the data and evidence on this guy - what he used for the murder weapon - what kind it was . . ."

  


" . . .then we go see some kind of shop that sells the same type of murder weapon." Darien finished.

  


"That's what I was thinking pal."

  


  


~~~~~~~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\********

"This doctor was murdered right here in California." said whoever was head of this investigation. Darien and Fawkes didn't really pay attention to the guy's name. "There's reason to believe that this murder is linked with the others."

  


"Why? Because she's a doctor?" Hobbes asked cynically. 

  


"No," he answered - agitated. "Because the bullets are from the same type of hand gun. 32 Caliber. Not very fancy, but I guess if it gets the job done, then it really doesn't matter to the killer. Also, all of the bullets we've found are gold."

  


Bobby picked up the small bullet in the plastic bag. He observed it, turning the bag around so he could get a good look at it. "Hey Fawkes, come here and look at this." he said. Something had caught his eye. 

  


Darien quickly put down the objects he had turned invisible. The Quicksilver broke off of the objects as he walked over to Bobby.

  


"Check this out." Hobbes said, pointing to an engraving on the bullet. 

  


Fawkes noticed an 'F' trapped in a circle on the bullet. "Fairview Guns." Darien said, still looking at the bullet intently.

  


"You know it?" asked Hobbes.

  


"Yeah, that's where I used to get a pick-me-up before I went to work." he replied.


	2. Jail and a hotdog

Invisible Man

  


  


  


Disclaimer: Hobbes is not mine. :( Neither is Darien or the Keep or Eberts or the Official or Arnaud de Föhn

Author's Note: The '_Invisible Man_' up at the top ^ is supposed to be blinking, but I'm not sure if fanfiction.net'll let me. Ooo! While I was writing this, I found a good summary. And here it is! Claire breaks down and Darien helps her get straightened out. Will she tell a certain someone how she feels? (actually, I don't know yet, I have to finish this chapter, and when I do get done with this chapter, I won't feel like erasing this, so you'll just have to deal with loony me!) :] 

  


  


~~~~~~~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\********

Hobbes grabbed the shirt tighter, making the cashier behind the counter even more nervous. "Now I'll ask you once again, who do you sell gold bullets to?!" Darien was messing around, turning things invisible like he was previously, leaving all the work to Bobby. He finally went over to Hobbes and watched.

  


The man licked his lips nervously and didn't reply. Hobbes tightened his grip even more, making the guy stand on his tip toes while he leaned over the counter. "If I tell you, he'll kill me." he said gulping.

  


"You do not want to see Bobby Hobbes mad my friend, believe me!"

  


"Hey hey," Darien said, before Bobby had finished his sentence. "Take it easy, come on." He made a gesture for Hobbes to let go of the cashier. Bobby looked at Fawkes before letting go. "There. Now, you mind telling us who this guy is?" Darien asked casually, leaning against the glass counter that held the guns and other weapons.

  


The man looked from Darien to Hobbes. "Look," Fawkes said. "If you tell us who this guy is, then we can catch him and you'll be safe. Truth of the matter is, he'll probably kill you anyway." Bobby rolled his eyes. "What?"

  


It seemed that the cashier got a tad bit braver while Darien was speaking, because the next thing that came out of his mouth was, "Why don't you slimeballs get out of my store and. . ." But he was cut short by Hobbes grabbing his shirt again. "Okay, okay. Ever heard of a guy named Arnaud de Föhn?"

  


  


  


~~~~~~~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\********

"I don't think I should have hit him, do you?" Darien asked Hobbes as he put his arms through the bars of their cell.

  


"No . . . no, I don't think you should have hit him either."

  


"Yeah, that's what I thought."

  


"Um hmm." Hobbes agreed.

  


  


  


~~~~~~~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\********

"Thanks Claire." said Darien as the police officer opened the cell door.

  


"That was the nastiest jail I've ever been in." replied Hobbes.

  


"You've been in jail before?" asked Darien.

  


"For your information I have, Mr. Thief. I'm sure you've had your share of overnights in a filthy place like that."

  


"Well, you just don't seem like the type of person who would . . .I don't know . . .break the law."

  


"I'm sorry guys, but can we get back to the main issue here?" asked Claire. 

  


By now they had reached the van, and Claire was growing impatient. "Yeah." they said, turning around and looking at Claire. 

  


"Thank you." she said, giving them a strange look. "Anyway, Darien, how on Earth did you get caught by the police?"

  


Hobbes answered, "See, we went in to interrogate this guy who was selling weapons to the assumed murderer, and Fawkes here decided to go ballistic on him when he mentioned _Arnaud de Föhn's_ name."

  


"I see." she said, looking at Darien who just gave her a guilty look. "But why couldn't you have just . . .Quicksilvered?" 

  


Darien lifted the sleeve of his jacket to allow Claire to see the almost red snake on his wrist. "I didn't think it would have been a very wise idea to Quicksilver and go mad."

  


"Good thinking, but . . .why are you almost out? I gave you a shot this morning."

  


"I . . .umm . . .I was messing around and . . .I kinda' turned some objects . . .invisible."

  


"Ah, and do you know how much money it takes The Agency to make that counteragent?"

  


"Umm . . .a lot?"

  


"Yes!"

  


"Uh oh." whispered Bobby to Fawkes. "She's pissed, you better watch out." and he turned his back and began to walk off in the opposite direction. 

  


"Hold on Keep. Why are you so frustrated? You don't normally act like this." replied Fawkes.

  


"I don't know. I'm just confused." she said, rubbing her forehead. Darien began to notice that she did that a lot.

  


"Confused of what?" he asked.

  


She stopped rubbing her forehead and looked at him. "I'm sorry Darien, but that is really none of your business."

  


"Well, I thought you made it my business back there when you gave me my shot!" he said, raising his voice a little.

  


Claire sat on the bumper of the van. Darien did the same. "I'm sorry Darien." she said. "I didn't mean to snap."

  


"I've heard that people snap less if they _talk about it_." he said, coaxing her to tell him.

  


"No Darien. It's too embarrassing." she said, shaking her head. He gave her a look. "Well, I feel . . .alone." she said, looking at Darien, not knowing what kind of reaction he would have.

  


"Alone, gottcha'."

  


"And . . .this is too embarrassing!" she said getting up. But Fawkes grabbed her wrist and forced her to sit down. 

  


"And?" he asked.

  


Darien saw tears rolling down her face. "I feel like I really am invisible." she sniffled. 

  


"Are you trying to tell me you need a hug?" he asked grinning, trying to make her laugh.

  


She nodded. He reached over and hugged her. "Thanks Darien." she replied. "I needed that. I think I'm going to go."

  


"Hey, wait Claire."

  


"Yes?" 

  


"I got one more question for you."

  


"What is it?"

  


"Do you like Bobby?" he asked grinning.

  


"What?" she asked, not believing that he had just asked her that question.

  


"Do you like Bobby?" he repeated.

  


"Again, I'm afraid that is none of your business. Now, I'm glad you helped me and all _Mr_._ Fawkes_, but I will not let you be involved in my personal life! Even though you've weaved your way in a little." she added.

  


"You do don't you?" he asked with a grin. 

  


"I will not comply to that answer." she said, turning her heel and walking towards her own car.

  


"I won't _comply_. I won't _comply_." he said, mimicking her accent and turning back to the van.

  


Bobby returned with a hotdog in his hand. "Where'd Claire go?" he asked.

  


"She went home." Darien replied.

  


"Ok." Hobbes took a bite of his hotdog.

  


Fawkes stared at the hot. "Why didn't you get me one?" he asked.

  


Hobbes looked up at Darien. "I ate it."

  


"You ate my hotdog?" 

  


"I was hungry." Darien stared at Hobbes. "You want mine?" he asked, holding the hotdog up to him.

  


Darien waved it away. "Well, do you want it?"

  


"It's half eaten!" he said as they got into the van.

  


"Well, I'm just saying, if you want it take it."

  


"I don't want it!"

  


"Fine, fine. You don't have to get so grouchy."

  


"I'm not getting grouchy . . ." And the argument continued as they drove away.


End file.
